That’s right. Brenda made me do it.
I’ve always been the entrepreneur type. It started way back in Elementary school. I’d have lemonade stands with my siblings and the other neighborhood kids. We would mow lawns in the summer and shovel snow in the winter. Once a friend and I even made worry dolls from twist tie wires and colored floss, and sold them at a roadside stand!
I liked earning my own money and being able to buy the things I wanted. (Which let’s be honest; at that age it was the newest Furby, and candy from the gas station.) I liked that empowered feeling of my effort being a direct correlation to my results. I think that’s why I’ve been repeatedly drawn to Direct Sales.
I started in direct sales when I was 18, with everyone’s favorite cornerstone company; Mary Kay. The appeal of being a new-to-makeup teenager headed to college and able to share that with other girls was just too good to pass up. Pair that with promises of the income I could make, and I was hooked. I booked a few parties, invested a lot of money into inventory, and ultimately ended up quitting less than 6 months later. I couldn’t get anyone to purchase, and my bookings fizzled.
After that I took a long break from Direct Sales. I felt like I had no clue what I was doing, that the products were too expensive, and that no one wanted a ‘pushy sales lady’ as a friend. I had feelings of failure to deal with, and I was embarrassed that I had put myself out there and failed. I still had these same feelings when I started my next Direct Sales venture while pregnant with my first son. Once again, I did well for a while, booked a few parties, made enough money to treat myself to Starbucks a few times a month or buy Christmas presents, and then quit a few months later.
This cycle repeated twice more before I found my current ‘home’ with GelMoment. So in case you lost count, that’s a total of FOUR direct sales companies I started with, lasted a few months, and quit. Yet here I am!
So what changed?
I found this group on Facebook called The Socialite Suite in March of 2016. It was a group FULL of women in Direct Sales. At first I wasn’t sure what to think when I joined. Most groups full of direct sellers on Facebook are just giant spam sessions (and not the good kind that comes in a can). I thought this would be just like those ones, so I joined, and rarely visited the group. Instead I let it be lost in the abyss that is the 300+ groups I’m in.
As the year progressed, I was invited to a bunch of different parties for various direct sales events on Facebook. Most were ignored, as I was just mass invited along with every other female over the age of 18 on each hostess’ friends list. Then along came a party that came with an ACTUAL invitation! A private message telling me that she is hosting a party, and she would really love it if I attended because she thinks the product would be something I’d love! Needless to say, I accepted her invitation. And I had FUN at a party on Facebook!
I’d heard mention of this party format a few times, and after a little more research I found out the party format was called EPIC Live Facebook parties. This format was created by none other than the woman who ran the group I’d joined earlier in the year, The Socialite Suite!
You’re signing up for what?
After that party, I started spending a little more time in the Socialite Suite Facebook group. I’d post every once in a while, I was more active in discussions, and I also ended up purchasing the EPIC Live FB Party course. I started implementing the things I learned in an effort to save my business (I was on number 4 of the previously mentioned companies). I saw some improvement, but realized my heart was no longer in my company. I began the process of slowly phasing out of the business. Feeling once again like a failure.
While on the tail end of my time with that last company, I ‘kitnapped’ with GelMoment. I liked the idea of a 5+ Free Gel polish I could use at home, and save the money and time I was spending getting to the salon (which is a 40 minute drive one way). So I used the product for myself for about 3 months, and spent some more time participating in the Socialite Suite.
In January of 2017, I received an email that my distributor account with GelMoment was going to become inactive. I have major FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) and I didn’t want to lose my distributor discount, so I ordered more polish colors to keep myself active. It was at this time that I approached my husband about actually working the GelMoment business. I’ll spare you his colorful response, but it was more of the same I’d heard from family and friends every time I ‘tried’ another direct sales business.
‘You’re going to sign up with ANOTHER one of those pyramid schemes?’
‘Don’t you think you’ve done enough of those?’
‘Why are you always trying to sell something?’
After pleading my case with the hubs, he finally agreed. I had one last shot at making a go of a direct sales career! I knew I needed to make it count this time. I needed to do something I hadn’t tried before. Enter Brenda Ster.
Who is Brenda Ster?
Brenda Ster is the mastermind behind Social Marketing for Direct Sales and The Elite Suite. She is passionate about helping women find their own voice in this big scary world online, and helping change the stereotype of Direct Sellers being ‘spammy’. She promotes leading with relationships and value in business. She’s honest, everyone’s cheerleader, and selfless. She also happens to love the color Pink, Sharpies, and the Green Bay Packers. So she is totally relatable!
After taking the EPIC course, I knew I needed more of Brenda’s training. Between January 2017 and today I invested in every training course she offers. I learned how to brand myself to stand out in my business. I learned how to more effectively use the social media platforms I was already on. I learned how to follow up, how the whole ‘Attraction Marketing’ thing works, that having a funnel strategy is important, and the list goes on.
I don’t know why I ever thought I could run a successful business without some sort of training. Everything else we do in life comes with some sort of training, right? So why did I think running a business was any different?
What did this do for my business?
I started actively working GelMoment as a business in February of 2017. I closed that month in the top 10 for recruiting, and have maintained a spot in the Top 10 each month since, for either Recruiting or Sales, or both. I’m an inaugural member of their Elite Leadership group which is reserved for the top leaders in the company each month. I have active, engaged customers. I have the privilege of leading a team of nearly 1,000 women who have the same BIG dreams I do for what this business can do for them. I’m earning enough income that we were able to purchase our forever home, and I am now a SAHM mom. And I owe it all to the things I learned from taking Brenda’s courses.
Brenda Made Me Do It.
Brenda and her training has pushed me to explore things that made me uncomfortable. To do the big scary things I thought about, but wasn’t sure to how actually DO. She encourages you to step outside your comfort zone and #doitscared. Blogging and YouTube are at the top of what’s called the Social Media pyramid, and I wanted to be on top. So here I am, writing a blog because Brenda told me to. And I couldn’t be more grateful that she did. I’ve found that although I have a lot to learn, I love mentoring and training and celebrating the successes of my team both big and small. I have a long way to go, and I’ve still got a TON to learn. But I’m thrilled with what I’ve accomplished both in my personal life and my business from the things I’ve learned over the last 8 months. From the Socialite Suite and it’s many rooms, from Brenda, and from all of the wonderful friends I’ve made while being a part of her tribe.
I can’t wait to see what’s in store for me on this journey with GelMoment. Because this story definitely isn’t over yet. If you’re wondering how to take your business to the next level, invest in yourself. Take some of Brenda’s courses. Join Social Marketing for Direct Sales. Participate, learn, network. We always have room for improvement in our business, and I don’t know about you; but I like being able to improve with nearly 15K women cheering me on.
I’d love to have you follow along on this journey, so feel free to subscribe so you don’t miss any updates! If you have questions or want to chat more about my experience with GelMoment, The Socialite Suite, or anything else, please feel free to send me a message!
